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It offers a wonderful view into the life and relationships that make this nation so reziliant and beautiful. The account of Roz Carr's life in Rwanda gives a wonderful picture and account of life in this beautiful nation. It provides a practical history of Rwanda for the past 50 years without glossing over the tragedies of romanticizing the life. Great read. You have a chance to see the people of Rwanda as they are, smiling and loving.
She was as good a hostess as she is a story teller. I spent four years in Rwanda, at Mudende, less than 1/2 a mile down the road from where Roz Carr lived. Her love of the country and its people truly come through in this book. My wife and I got to know her quite well. This book brought back a lot of memories. She also paints a vivid picture of life there. I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read about winners and survivors.
To start up an orphanage in one's 80's is amazing. A fascinating read and historical insight into Rwanda and it's neighbours. Ros Carr's fortitude and life described in the book was truly inspiring. If visiting Rwanda a visit to her loved home and orphanage 'Mugongo' makes this book come alive. Great to see her good work continuing since her passing.
I chose this book to learn more about Rwanda and it's history. I learned alot in addition to the account of the author's life there. Even though we hear negatives about many places- it was nice to see both sides for a change. I think the more we learn about other countries and their history a better understanding we will have of the people.I plan to do more reading in this area.
Carr was a fascinating woman. She lived in Rwanda from 1949 until her death in 2006. Carr certainly knew some very interesting people.I suppose that I was mostly disappointed because I expected it to say more about Rwanda as a country. Which isn't to say that Land of a Thousand Hills is a bad book.
I didn't feel as though I learned much about the politics of the time that she lived through. It isn't. It is certainly interesting biographically. Land of A Thousand Hills is an autobiography by Rosamond Halsey Carr. That was interesting.The book is not terribly well written, although the prose is generally clean. It was also fascinating to read her stories about Dian Fossey.
Given her obvious personal strength, I expected her to be a more unbiased observer. She clearly was not that, and to her credit I guess that she never pretended to be.
They may have done better to have it co-written by someone with better credentials than being a relative of the primary author.If you have some time to spare, and are interested in the fading days of European empire in Africa, you may well find this a good use of time. Originally the owner of a flower plantation, she went on at 82 to open an orphanage for children left parentless during the Hutu-Tutsi genocide.I had higher hopes for this book.
Worse, I didn't really feel that I trusted much of what I did learn.One exception to this is that so few people are willing to write about the Tutsi at all critically, following the genocide. The sheer strength of her decision to stay in Africa after the collapse of her marriage in order to run a flower plantation on her own is really impressive-- more so considering the time.
At 82, I hope that I'm the kind of woman who will return to a war zone to start an orphanage. Carr actually builds a hesitant case for the defense without excusing Huti excesses, something that probably took a fair amount of personal courage.
But walk, don't run, to the book store.
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